Center for Social System Engineering

Develops a wide range of technologies for new and existing social infrastructure

We conduct research and development on construction materials and methods, and experimental & computational analysis, for construction of social infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, dams, and energy storage facilities. We also analyze the value and condition of social infrastructure, facilities, regions and urban areas, etc., and evaluate the optimal methods to manage maintenance, preservation, and renovation of those.

High Level Experimental and Analytical Technology for Strengthening Infrastructure

Japan is at high risk of natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, and having social infrastructure that is able to withstand natural disasters over a long period of time is important for social development. We also face the need to build safely and minimize the impact on the surrounding environment during the construction phase. To accommodate such demands on social infrastructure, the center develops materials and structures that will provide the various performances required on social infrastructure, and conducts research and development on assessment technology that is necessary for planning, design, and construction, using sophisticated testing and analysis.

Aging roads, bridges, and other social infrastructure built around 1970s have become a societal problem. To respond to this, we need to evaluate the value of existing social infrastructure and facilities from a new perspective. The center conducts research and development on technology to increase the ability of buildings and infrastructure to withstand earthquakes, and technology to monitor and evaluate durability aimed at maintenance, management, and renovation of aging infrastructure to resolve such problems. The center considers buildings within their historical, cultural, and human frameworks, and is engaged in research to develop methods to reassess historical buildings, methods of preservation, renovation, and upgrading, and ways to analyze human behavior and awareness in these contexts with the goal of revitalizing facilities and communities.